Potency of indigenous natural products against Agrotis ipsilon Hufnagel (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Himachal Pradesh is a northern state of India and is located to the southern of the mighty Himalaya. The agro-climatic conditions are favourable for the cultivation of off-season vegetables. One alternative is to control Agrotis ipsilon Hufnagel (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with indigenous natural products derived from cow and plant extracts. To reduce the usage of pesticides during crop protection, the current study was conducted with several indigenous natural products with the goal of assessing the toxic, ovicidal behaviour and its influence on pest growth and development. Results showed that mixtures of different extracts from plants and cow by-products, especially Dashparni ark, could be an economic approach for the management of A. ipsilon. In all the products, A. ipsilon mortality ranged from low to moderate levels in the laboratory in first, second and third instar larvae, which decreased with subsequent instars and was observed to be very low in fourth, fifth and sixth instar. The egg hatchability of A. ipsilon was decreased with increase in the concentration of all evaluated products. Compared to other checked natural products, Dashparni Ark demonstrated the highest ovicidal performance at various concentrations. The normal growth of A. ipsilon was hampered by the recommended concentration (10%) of the various natural products used against fourth instar larvae, which increased the lifespan of fourth, fifth, and sixth instar larvae and pupa while decreasing the longevity of males and females, shortening the lifespan of oviposition, and decreasing fertility. The findings showed that it is possible to use indigenous natural products as one of the components for managing A. ipsilon to decrease over-reliance on insecticides under field and greenhouse conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]